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EKSplorer Online Catalog

The Library’s book, sound, and audio holdings can be located by using the EKSplorer online catalog. This database performs searches for materials that can be conducted by author, title, subject, keyword, or call number queries. Use the Library of Congress Headings Books (one set in the Lobby, another in the Reference Area) to assist you in identifying terms to use to search by subject. The EKSplorer online catalog can be accessed from all of the computers in the Library or through the Library webpage from a remote location. 

When searching for materials in the collection, remember to be specific. Should you want to read works written BY Robert Frost, then search Frost, Robert (last name first) as an Author. However, if your research requires that you obtain material (criticisms and commentaries, for example) ABOUT Robert Frost, then search Frost, Robert (last name first) as a Subject. These and other research hints and tips can be located at the Reference Desk or in the various Library handouts that are available in the lobby.

Reserve Materials

All reserves are located at the Circulation Desk. Should a professor inform you that class materials have been placed on reserve, simply consult EKSplorer, select the Course Reserves tab as a search option, choose the course professor and title, and then search. The materials that have been placed on reserve for that professor and class will appear. Once you have retrieved the call number from the EKSplorer’s listings, request the item’s call number at the Circulation Desk and you may, with your student ID, check out the material. Reserve materials are only available for a three-hour check-out and cannot be removed from the Library.

Periodicals and Their Indexes

Periodicals (also called journals, magazines, or serials) are collections of articles published at stated intervals (weekly, monthly, bimonthly, etc.). In some fields they provide more up-to-date information than books. Without indexes to periodicals, it would be necessary to leaf through volume after volume to find pertinent articles. 

The Library has access to many electronic indexes; some general and some discipline-specific. These indexes provide citations to articles in thousands of magazines and journals and often provide the actual full text of the articles. Many of these indexes are made available through NCLive. NCLive is a virtual library of periodical databases accessed via the Internet. Total, NCLive cites over nine thousand journal titles. Accessible via the Internet through a direct link on all computers in the Library lobby, NCLive is also available from remote locations. See the NCLive “at home” link on the EKS Library webpage for details. Handouts are available which describe the principal databases on NCLive; these can be helpful in choosing the database most appropriate for a particular topic or subject area. Ask a Reference Librarian for further assistance in searching NCLive. 

The Library also subscribes to a number of other magazine and journal titles not found on NCLive. A listing of these print titles, called the Periodical Location List or PLL, is available online through the Library webpage. In order to determine if the Library subscribes to a particular magazine and where it is shelved, consult the PLL. The notation, closed stacks, indicates the periodical is shelved in an area to which physical access is unavailable to patrons and may be obtained by presenting a Periodical Request slip at the Periodicals Desk. A notation of microfilm or microfiche indicates that the periodical is located in the Microforms Area of the Reference Room. (That area is located to the right of the Reference Desk.) When you have finished using a periodical or microform please return that item to the Periodical Desk for reshelving.

The most current issue of a periodical title is shelved alphabetically in the bookcases along the perimeter of the Reference Room. Popular titles are found on the magazine stand by the Reference Office. Several newspapers, both daily and Sunday editions, are available at the Periodicals Desk. Periodicals are not allowed to be removed from the Library.

Research Terms

Abstract: “a summary of points; something that summarizes or concentrates the essentials of a larger thing” (Merriam-Webster, 5)

Academic or Scholarly Source (Refereed or Peer-Reviewed Journal): a source produced by an association or educational institution, not for profit, that is peer reviewed (reviewed by experts in the field); the title often contains the word “journal,” but not always

Annotated Bibliography: a list of books and other sources on a particular subject with summaries of each describing its strengths and/or weaknesses

Annotation: “the action of adding notes to a work or author, by way of explanation or comment; an annotated edition is one printed with comments by the author or an editor” (Scott, 14)

Citation Elements for Books: 

Book Citation Elements include the following

Author

Title 

Publisher

City of Publication

Copyright (or publication) Date

Sample Book Citation (MLA format)

Format: Author (Last, First). Book Title. City of Publication: Publisher, Date.

Example: Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. New York: New Directions, 1947.

Citation Elements for Journals:

Author

Title of Article

Title of Journal (often referred to in databases as Source or SO)

Date of Journal

Volume & Issue Numbers of Journal

Pagination (page numbers)

Sample Journal Citation (MLA format)

Format: Author (Last, First). “Title of Article.” Journal Title Volume:Issue (Date): pages.

Example: Fleche, Anne. “The Space of Madness and Desire: Tennessee Williams and Streetcar.” Modern Drama 38:4 (1995): 298-310.

Concordance: “an alphabetical listing along with the immediate context, of all the words in a work, such as the Bible, or in the complete works of a writer” (Quinn, 67)

Cumulative Index: denotes that the highest numbered volume (in a set) has an index that covers the entire set

Discipline or Subject-Specific (reference materials, encyclopedias, and databases): sources that focus on a specific discipline or subject, unlike a general encyclopedia whose focus is broad and not accepted as scholarly research

Example subject-specific: Encyclopedia of Southern Culture

 [Ref F.209.E53.1989]

Example general: Encyclopædia Britannica

[Ref AE.5.E363.1997]

Plagiarism: “the act of representing as one’s own the writing of another person” (Quinn, 247) 
Rules and regulations, as well as punishment, for plagiarism on the college and university level vary drastically from those on the high school level. Incorporating ideas and even paraphrasing, without proper citation, is considered a violation of copyright; simply rephrasing material is not acceptable. Should you have questions regard plagiarism, citations, quoting or paraphrasing, please consult your Professor.

Theme: “a significant idea in a literary text, sometimes used interchangeably with motif; theme is also used to describe a recurring idea in a number of texts” (Quinn, 323)

Thesis Statement: the point you, as an author, wish to make or argue which requires sharp focus and must be supported by research

Types of Research Sources:
Primary: the original document of study (meaning the novel, poem, short story, or the text itself)
Example: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Secondary: a critical review, explication, or analysis written about the primary source; this can be in the form of an entire book, a chapter in a book, or a journal article
Example: Fleche, Anne. “The Space of Madness and Desire: Tennessee Williams and Streetcar.” Modern Drama 38:4 (1995): 298-310.
Tertiary: an anthology that compiles excerpts from a variety of secondary sources in order to provide a brief selection of sources; a great source to consult in order to identify thematic trends in research
Example: Contemporary Literary Criticism [Ref PN.771.C59]

Works Cited and Consulted

Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writing: A Brief Handbook. Boston: Bedford Books, 1996.

Quinn, Edward. A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1999.

Reference Department Staff Members, Ethel K. Smith Library, Wingate University, April, 2001.

Scott, A.F. Current Literary Terms: A Concise Dictionary of Their Origin and Use. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1967.

Evaluation Procedures for Internet Sources

Professors often require resources that should be obtained from various mediums. Remember, NCLIVE and other online databases are NOT the Internet. They are only obtained via the Internet. Be extremely selective when choosing Internet sources for citation within a paper or presentation. In order to better evaluate and select Internet sites, follow these suggestions.

A World Wide Web (WWW) address that contains the suffix .com is a commercial site. This site contains a bias or has an economical objective. The site’s intent is to obtain purchasers for its product. 

A WWW address that contains the suffix .org is a site maintained by a non-profit organization. Material found on this type of site will be direct data from surveys and reports and very informative. Consider this a reputable source.

A WWW address that contains the suffix .edu is a site maintained by an educational institution. This website’s material is often scholarly. Note who has posted the material to the page; often professors will post dissertations or research studies. This is considered an excellent source. Other postings may not be as reputable, however.

A WWW address that contains the suffix .gov is a site that is maintained by a governmental branch. This data is considered quite reliable, especially when searching for figures, statistical data, and annual reports.

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Updated July 27, 2007